Arturia are venturing into a bit of cut-and-paste with their augmented instruments. What’s the big idea? How far can you push them? Can I get rid of the huge lump of Native Instruments samples on that external drive? Will I still be able to do dirt cheap 30 second TV ads? Well maybe not that last one given TV ads are dead, but let’s have a closer look.
Augmented means you can add two multi-samples of a real sampled instrument in layer A and two synthesisers in layer B, each layer having a filter and FX, the combination being sent through a further main FX. You can swap your synths and samplers between layers, but must always have two of each. The synthesisers are based on the Pigments engine with much of the detail removed. You cannot add samples or wavetables – the menu is fixed for each instrument. You can however adjust everything within the library you’ve been given.
That’s not too limiting – if you think about it, you’ve been happy with just a saw, triangle and pulse wave for years. The filters are plentiful, three envelopes to use, a couple of LFOs – life is good. The main issue is which family of samples are you going to augment – because once you choose you can’t swap. A piano? Strings? Brass?
All of this seems oddly ‘soundtrack’. If I was going to make the kind of music I hear at the gym (because I’d been knocked on the head that hard) I’d be unsure of where to start… maybe the Yangtze? Er…no OK so perhaps that would be something for the full Pigments. If you’re overwhelmed put it in Play mode.
There’s a uncomfortable dance here between sound library and synthesiser. Some music workers, particularly those in film scoring need to dial up a solution quickly while the director leans over their shoulder. They’re going to stick with Native Instruments and ‘solutions’. Others are making gym ‘music’ and they need yet another retro funky bass line. It’s an uncommon soul that starts with mallets and wraps them in wafty analogue dissonance – but is then forbidden from bringing in woodwinds because that’s a different category. If they’re that dedicated they’re going to put their own samples in Pigments. But then again maybe this is the gateway drug. I’m unsure. I think I will likely keep working with Pigments.